- I don't know
if you've noticed,
00:00:00.80\00:00:02.20
but we seem to be living
in really uncertain times
00:00:02.20\00:00:04.23
and there are a lot
of voices out there,
00:00:04.23\00:00:05.93
asking people to rip apart,
00:00:05.93\00:00:07.54
the foundations of society,
00:00:07.54\00:00:09.24
and replace those
foundations with something else.
00:00:09.24\00:00:12.44
But what that
something else is exactly,
00:00:12.44\00:00:14.88
nobody ever seems to say.
00:00:14.88\00:00:16.58
And it turns out some of these
de-constructors are building
00:00:16.58\00:00:20.82
on long forgotten
and wrongheaded ideas
00:00:20.82\00:00:23.99
that go back a
really, really long time.
00:00:23.99\00:00:27.96
[Western music]
00:00:27.96\00:00:30.63
Jean-Jacques
Rousseau isn't really one
00:00:48.71\00:00:50.68
of the more popular
European philosophers,
00:00:50.68\00:00:53.21
even though his influence,
00:00:53.21\00:00:54.72
clearly contributed to
some of the biggest upheavals
00:00:54.72\00:00:57.62
of the last few centuries.
00:00:57.62\00:00:59.95
Not the least of which,
00:00:59.95\00:01:01.59
were the likes of
the French Revolution
00:01:01.59\00:01:03.53
of the late 18th century
00:01:03.53\00:01:05.03
and the communist overthrow
of the Russian czars in 1917.
00:01:05.03\00:01:09.66
But go get a first-year
textbook of Western philosophy
00:01:09.66\00:01:12.43
and just page
your way through it,
00:01:12.43\00:01:14.14
and you'll find precious
little space given to Rousseau.
00:01:14.14\00:01:17.94
He just isn't a
top 40 philosopher.
00:01:17.94\00:01:20.98
So I thought today,
00:01:20.98\00:01:21.91
maybe in the spirit of fairness,
00:01:21.91\00:01:23.45
I'd spend some time talking
about Rousseau's contribution
00:01:23.45\00:01:26.82
to 18th century thought,
00:01:26.82\00:01:29.05
not because I liked the guy,
00:01:29.05\00:01:30.59
but because the stuff
he wrote kind of forces us
00:01:30.59\00:01:33.92
to explore the
nature of human existence,
00:01:33.92\00:01:37.06
and it gives me the opportunity
00:01:37.06\00:01:39.26
to highlight the
rather contrary thinking found
00:01:39.26\00:01:42.06
in the Bible,
00:01:42.06\00:01:43.33
that other great
founding document
00:01:43.33\00:01:45.50
of Western civilization.
00:01:45.50\00:01:47.27
Rousseau was born
in the city of Geneva,
00:01:48.74\00:01:51.11
son to a Swiss watchmaker,
00:01:51.11\00:01:52.87
which, of course, was
a very prestigious trade,
00:01:52.87\00:01:55.54
back in the day.
00:01:55.54\00:01:56.98
In fact, we still kind
of revere Swiss watches
00:01:56.98\00:01:59.95
and Swiss
watchmakers to this day.
00:01:59.95\00:02:02.95
Other watchmakers from
other countries didn't have
00:02:02.95\00:02:05.75
the same kind of clout
00:02:05.75\00:02:07.16
because, well, as
Rousseau himself once said,
00:02:07.16\00:02:09.92
"A Genevan watchmaker is a man
00:02:09.92\00:02:11.66
"who can be introduced anywhere;
00:02:11.66\00:02:13.46
"a Parisian
watchmaker is only fit
00:02:13.46\00:02:15.90
"to talk about watches."
00:02:15.90\00:02:18.13
I know that seems like kind
of a slam against the French,
00:02:18.13\00:02:21.00
but it's really
Rousseau's way of pointing out
00:02:21.00\00:02:23.44
that his father
wasn't just a craftsman,
00:02:23.44\00:02:25.87
but a thinker and a philosopher.
00:02:25.87\00:02:28.74
In fact, from a very
young age in early boyhood,
00:02:28.74\00:02:31.25
Rousseau's father taught him
00:02:31.25\00:02:32.48
to read the ancient classics.
00:02:32.48\00:02:34.12
And one of his
all-time favorites
00:02:34.12\00:02:35.92
was "Lives of the Noble
Greeks and Romans" by Plutarch.
00:02:35.92\00:02:39.82
He found those
stories so fascinating
00:02:39.82\00:02:42.89
that he would
read them to his father
00:02:42.89\00:02:44.43
while his father was busy
at the watchmaking work bench.
00:02:44.43\00:02:47.96
And sometimes, he would
even act out the stories,
00:02:47.96\00:02:50.60
pretending that he was one
of those ancient Greek heroes.
00:02:50.60\00:02:54.17
So Rousseau really had
a pretty decent childhood.
00:02:54.17\00:02:57.81
But then when he was 10,
00:02:57.81\00:02:59.04
his father was arrested
00:02:59.04\00:03:00.31
for hunting on a
wealthy man's land.
00:03:00.31\00:03:03.21
And because dad knew
he didn't have the power
00:03:03.21\00:03:05.65
or the resources to
beat this man in court,
00:03:05.65\00:03:08.08
he suddenly picked up
00:03:08.08\00:03:09.35
and moved away
from the city of Geneva.
00:03:09.35\00:03:12.35
And personally, I
suspect that to some extent,
00:03:12.35\00:03:14.42
it was that
episode that contributed
00:03:14.42\00:03:16.99
to Rousseau's hatred for
the wealthy and the privileged,
00:03:16.99\00:03:20.23
and the way that he
thought civilization appeared
00:03:20.23\00:03:23.20
to be stacked in
wealthy people's favor.
00:03:23.20\00:03:26.20
The budding philosopher was sent
00:03:27.44\00:03:28.90
to live with somebody else.
00:03:28.90\00:03:30.44
And to the surprise
00:03:30.44\00:03:31.81
of the staunch
Calvinists he grew up with,
00:03:31.81\00:03:34.14
he eventually
converted to Catholicism.
00:03:34.14\00:03:36.68
And some people have speculated
00:03:36.68\00:03:38.25
that he
converted at least in part
00:03:38.25\00:03:40.32
because he didn't
like the Calvinist doctrine
00:03:40.32\00:03:43.39
of total depravity,
00:03:43.39\00:03:44.92
which taught that human beings
are born with a sinful nature
00:03:44.92\00:03:48.22
and do not have
the moral resources
00:03:48.22\00:03:50.76
to redeem themselves.
00:03:50.76\00:03:52.76
That was an idea
that really bothered him.
00:03:52.76\00:03:55.60
And later in his
famous book, "Emile,"
00:03:55.60\00:03:58.03
he wrote this:
00:03:58.03\00:03:59.47
"Let us lay it down as
an incontrovertible rule
00:03:59.47\00:04:02.77
"that the first impulses
of nature are always right;
00:04:02.77\00:04:05.67
"there is no original
sin in the human heart,
00:04:05.67\00:04:08.61
"the how and why
00:04:08.61\00:04:10.05
"of the entrance of
every vice can be traced."
00:04:10.05\00:04:14.02
What he's saying essentially,
00:04:14.02\00:04:15.78
is that he believed human beings
00:04:15.78\00:04:17.19
are born completely sinless,
00:04:17.19\00:04:19.29
and then the
influence of the world,
00:04:19.29\00:04:21.12
eventually leads
us to corruption.
00:04:21.12\00:04:24.13
In fact, he spent a
lot of time praising
00:04:24.13\00:04:26.80
what he imagined to be
a much better existence
00:04:26.80\00:04:30.07
in the far distant past,
00:04:30.07\00:04:31.73
in some kind of magical utopia
00:04:31.73\00:04:34.64
that existed before
human beings created
00:04:34.64\00:04:37.47
awful things like civilization.
00:04:37.47\00:04:41.01
Now, if you go back
to the 19th century,
00:04:41.01\00:04:43.71
and even a little bit earlier,
00:04:43.71\00:04:45.41
back to Rousseau's day,
00:04:45.41\00:04:47.32
you'll find
lots of people pining
00:04:47.32\00:04:48.82
for a more natural existence.
00:04:48.82\00:04:51.62
They wanted to return
00:04:51.62\00:04:53.12
to what they imagined was
a more exalted way of living
00:04:53.12\00:04:56.06
in the far distant past.
00:04:56.06\00:04:58.43
One of the more famous examples
00:04:58.43\00:04:59.86
from more
recent times of course,
00:04:59.86\00:05:01.60
was the American
author, Henry Thoreau,
00:05:01.60\00:05:04.47
who built himself, a
tiny cabin in the woods
00:05:04.47\00:05:06.63
and separated
himself from everybody else.
00:05:06.63\00:05:09.44
It's a story you find
in this book, "Walden."
00:05:09.44\00:05:12.24
Some of you probably
had to read this in college.
00:05:12.24\00:05:15.44
What Thoreau imagined was
that he was separating himself
00:05:15.44\00:05:18.85
from the slavery of
everyday human existence in part
00:05:18.85\00:05:22.82
because he didn't have
to hold down a job anymore.
00:05:22.82\00:05:25.79
And near the
beginning of this book,
00:05:25.79\00:05:27.62
here's what he says:
00:05:27.62\00:05:29.66
"I see young men, my townsmen,
00:05:29.66\00:05:31.66
"whose misfortune it is
00:05:31.66\00:05:32.86
"to have inherited
farms, houses, barns,
00:05:32.86\00:05:35.70
"cattle, and farming tools;
00:05:35.70\00:05:37.53
"for these are more
easily acquired than got rid of.
00:05:37.53\00:05:40.77
"Better if they had
been born in the open pasture
00:05:40.77\00:05:43.10
"and suckled by a wolf,
00:05:43.10\00:05:44.74
"that they might have
seen with clearer eyes,
00:05:44.74\00:05:46.54
"what field they
were called to labor in.
00:05:46.54\00:05:48.71
"Who made them
serfs of the soil?"
00:05:48.71\00:05:51.98
And then we get this
depressing statement,
00:05:51.98\00:05:54.05
just a few sentences later.
00:05:54.05\00:05:55.42
He says, "But men
labor under a mistake.
00:05:55.42\00:05:59.22
"The better part of
the man is soon plowed
00:05:59.22\00:06:01.49
"into the soil for compost."
00:06:01.49\00:06:03.96
Probably not great
reading when you head back
00:06:03.96\00:06:06.03
to work on a Monday morning.
00:06:06.03\00:06:07.86
"By a seeming fate," he says,
00:06:07.86\00:06:09.96
"they are employed, as
it says in an old book,"
00:06:09.96\00:06:12.33
and by that, he means the Bible,
00:06:12.33\00:06:14.27
"laying up treasures which
moth and rust will corrupt,
00:06:14.27\00:06:17.31
"and thieves,
breakthrough and steal.
00:06:17.31\00:06:19.57
"It is a fool's life,
00:06:19.57\00:06:21.11
"and they will find when
they get to the end of it,
00:06:21.11\00:06:23.31
"if not before."
00:06:23.31\00:06:24.55
Of course, Thoreau is distorting
00:06:25.78\00:06:28.32
what the Bible actually says
00:06:28.32\00:06:30.09
because what Christ is
talking about at that point
00:06:30.09\00:06:33.19
in the "Sermon on the Mount"
00:06:33.19\00:06:34.46
is not the act of
just working for a living,
00:06:34.46\00:06:36.99
but making the
accumulation of wealth,
00:06:36.99\00:06:39.06
your first priority.
00:06:39.06\00:06:41.26
What Jesus doesn't say is
that you shouldn't go to work,
00:06:41.26\00:06:44.27
which becomes well really
obvious if you take the time
00:06:44.27\00:06:47.07
to read the whole Bible.
00:06:47.07\00:06:48.74
Now, to be really honest,
00:06:48.74\00:06:50.47
I like reading this
kind of stuff like "Walden,"
00:06:50.47\00:06:53.74
because I have a soft
spot for wilderness adventure.
00:06:53.74\00:06:56.75
So if you ask me would I like
00:06:56.75\00:06:58.05
to live in a
cabin like "Walden" did,
00:06:58.05\00:07:00.15
yeah, of course I would.
00:07:00.15\00:07:02.02
But, unfortunately,
it'd be hard to do this job
00:07:02.02\00:07:04.12
from the middle
of the wilderness.
00:07:04.12\00:07:06.09
So you gotta wonder
00:07:06.92\00:07:08.19
where in the
world did Henry Thoreau
00:07:08.19\00:07:09.66
get such a negative view
of modern life and working?
00:07:09.66\00:07:12.83
Well, you got to admit
he kind of has a point.
00:07:12.83\00:07:15.46
I mean, the fact that we get
paid to go to work reminds us
00:07:15.46\00:07:18.73
that most of us
would rather be doing
00:07:18.73\00:07:20.40
something else most days.
00:07:20.40\00:07:22.20
And it reminds us
00:07:22.20\00:07:23.71
that the book of Genesis is
completely right when it says
00:07:23.71\00:07:25.54
that working hard
is part of a curse.
00:07:25.54\00:07:29.78
But at the same time,
00:07:29.78\00:07:31.25
the Bible is
still full of reminders
00:07:31.25\00:07:33.08
that hard work has
become absolutely necessary,
00:07:33.08\00:07:36.22
now that we no
longer live in paradise.
00:07:36.22\00:07:38.89
Let me show you just a
couple of famous examples.
00:07:38.89\00:07:41.66
Here's one that you find
over in the book of Proverbs,
00:07:41.66\00:07:44.56
where it says, "Go to
the ant, you sluggard!
00:07:44.56\00:07:47.83
"Consider her ways and be wise,
00:07:47.83\00:07:49.53
"which having no
captain, overseer or ruler,
00:07:49.53\00:07:52.93
"provides her
supplies in the summer
00:07:52.93\00:07:54.80
"and gathers her
food in the harvest.
00:07:54.80\00:07:57.44
"How long will you
slumber, O sluggard?
00:07:57.44\00:08:00.08
"When will you
rise from your sleep?
00:08:00.08\00:08:02.18
"A little sleep,
a little slumber,
00:08:02.18\00:08:04.38
"a little folding
of the hands to sleep,
00:08:04.38\00:08:06.88
"so shall your poverty
come on you like a prowler,
00:08:06.88\00:08:09.92
"and your need,
like an armed man."
00:08:09.92\00:08:13.12
Or what about this one
from one of Paul's letters
00:08:13.12\00:08:16.26
to the Thessalonians.
00:08:16.26\00:08:17.63
He says, "For you
yourselves know how you ought
00:08:17.63\00:08:20.46
"to follow us,
00:08:20.46\00:08:21.66
"for we were not
disorderly among you
00:08:21.66\00:08:23.40
"nor did we eat
anyone's bread free of charge,
00:08:23.40\00:08:26.50
"but worked with labor
and toil, night and day,
00:08:26.50\00:08:29.27
"that we might not be
a burden to any of you,
00:08:29.27\00:08:31.94
"not because we do
not have authority,
00:08:31.94\00:08:34.01
"but to make
ourselves an example
00:08:34.01\00:08:35.84
"of how you should follow us.
00:08:35.84\00:08:37.88
"For even when we were with you,
00:08:37.88\00:08:39.41
"we commanded you this:
if anyone will not work,
00:08:39.41\00:08:43.42
"neither shall he eat."
00:08:43.42\00:08:46.05
So on the one hand,
00:08:46.05\00:08:47.82
the Bible tells us we
have to work because we sin.
00:08:47.82\00:08:50.93
And then on the other hand,
00:08:50.93\00:08:52.13
the Bible tells us
that we need to submit
00:08:52.13\00:08:53.73
to this new way of living
00:08:53.73\00:08:54.73
and make the most of it
00:08:54.73\00:08:56.00
because, well, this
is the way it's supposed
00:08:56.00\00:08:58.23
to be right now.
00:08:58.23\00:08:59.60
So let's get back to
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
00:08:59.60\00:09:02.14
because he actually said
00:09:02.14\00:09:03.64
that civilization
itself is a curse.
00:09:03.64\00:09:07.08
And I'll be
right back after this
00:09:07.08\00:09:08.41
to show you what he
meant when he said that.
00:09:08.41\00:09:11.41
[gentle music]
00:09:11.41\00:09:12.95
- [Woman Voice-over]
Here at the Voice of Prophecy,
00:09:12.95\00:09:14.42
we're committed to
creating top quality programming
00:09:14.42\00:09:16.02
for the whole family,
00:09:16.02\00:09:17.45
like our audio adventure
series, "Discovery Mountain."
00:09:17.45\00:09:20.56
"Discovery Mountain"
is a Bible-based program
00:09:20.56\00:09:23.12
for kids of all
ages and backgrounds.
00:09:23.12\00:09:25.46
Your family will enjoy
the faith building stories
00:09:25.46\00:09:28.20
from this small
mountain summer camp, Penn Town.
00:09:28.20\00:09:31.03
With 24 seasonal
episodes every year
00:09:31.03\00:09:33.54
and fresh content every week,
00:09:33.54\00:09:35.70
there's always a new adventure,
00:09:35.70\00:09:37.41
just on the horizon.
00:09:37.41\00:09:38.87
- One of Henry
Thoreau's major influences,
00:09:42.24\00:09:44.75
it seems was the Swiss
philosopher, Jean-Jacques
00:09:44.75\00:09:48.22
Rousseau, who utterly lamented
the plight of hardworking people
00:09:48.22\00:09:51.35
when compared to
the wealthy landowners
00:09:51.35\00:09:53.56
who just paid other
people to work for them.
00:09:53.56\00:09:57.26
So Rousseau spent a lot
of time trying to imagine
00:09:57.26\00:09:59.93
how this situation came to be.
00:09:59.93\00:10:02.43
And on one occasion,
00:10:02.43\00:10:03.63
when the academy
at Dijon in France,
00:10:03.63\00:10:05.57
put on an essay contest,
00:10:05.57\00:10:07.34
he suddenly had
this major epiphany.
00:10:07.34\00:10:10.94
It was 1749,
00:10:10.94\00:10:12.77
and the contestants had
to answer this question in an
00:10:12.77\00:10:16.31
essay: "Has the restoration
of the sciences and arts
00:10:16.31\00:10:19.81
contributed "to the
purification of morals?"
00:10:19.81\00:10:22.88
Here's what they were asking.
00:10:22.88\00:10:24.32
People realized
that Europe was now busy,
00:10:24.32\00:10:26.52
clawing its way
out of the dark ages,
00:10:26.52\00:10:29.09
which began when the
Western Roman empire collapsed.
00:10:29.09\00:10:32.43
And they were
wondering if a return
00:10:32.43\00:10:34.50
to classical ancient learning
00:10:34.50\00:10:36.43
was actually some
kind of benefit to society.
00:10:36.43\00:10:39.97
And most people
would have said, "Yes,"
00:10:39.97\00:10:41.64
but not Rousseau.
00:10:41.64\00:10:43.74
When he saw
that ad in the paper,
00:10:43.74\00:10:45.47
he went out for a walk
to think about his answer.
00:10:45.47\00:10:48.48
And that's when he
came to this conclusion:
00:10:48.48\00:10:50.21
"Society was not getting better
00:10:50.21\00:10:53.01
"and civilization was a
massive problem for humanity."
00:10:53.01\00:10:57.59
That idea became
one of his first books,
00:10:57.59\00:11:00.12
called "The Discourse
on the Arts and Sciences."
00:11:00.12\00:11:03.09
And then a few years later,
00:11:03.09\00:11:04.26
he expanded those same ideas
00:11:04.26\00:11:06.19
and wrote his most important
work of political philosophy,
00:11:06.19\00:11:09.80
his "Discourse on the
Origin of Inequality Among Men."
00:11:09.80\00:11:13.64
I have both books in one volume.
00:11:13.64\00:11:16.77
And this is kind
of where things start
00:11:16.77\00:11:18.54
to get, well, weird.
00:11:18.54\00:11:21.74
What Rousseau does
is travel back in time
00:11:21.74\00:11:23.91
to imagine a world where
people are basically animals.
00:11:23.91\00:11:27.32
It's kind of like
the theory of evolution,
00:11:27.32\00:11:29.32
even though it predates
Darwin by about 100 years.
00:11:29.32\00:11:32.99
The truth is that lots
of people have been toying
00:11:32.99\00:11:35.66
with the idea of evolution
for a really long time;
00:11:35.66\00:11:38.16
in fact, for centuries.
00:11:38.16\00:11:40.50
And what Darwin did in
the 19th century was come up
00:11:40.50\00:11:43.30
with a mechanism to explain
00:11:43.30\00:11:44.73
how evolution could happen;
00:11:44.73\00:11:46.53
the process of natural selection
00:11:46.53\00:11:48.67
and survival of the fittest.
00:11:48.67\00:11:50.87
What Rousseau did,
long before Darwin,
00:11:50.87\00:11:53.31
was travel back
through time in his imagination
00:11:53.31\00:11:56.91
to this wonderful world
00:11:56.91\00:11:58.61
where he said people
live much better lives.
00:11:58.61\00:12:02.12
All we had to think about
back then before civilization
00:12:02.12\00:12:05.52
was where to find food,
00:12:05.52\00:12:06.82
just like the
animals' lives were simple
00:12:06.82\00:12:08.89
and absolutely free.
00:12:08.89\00:12:10.96
And he said the reason for that
00:12:10.96\00:12:12.43
was because we didn't
actually need each other.
00:12:12.43\00:12:14.86
If your instincts
drove you to procreate,
00:12:14.86\00:12:16.67
you just did it,
00:12:16.67\00:12:17.60
you didn't have to get married.
00:12:17.60\00:12:18.87
If someone ate all
the food in one location,
00:12:18.87\00:12:20.90
you just picked up
and went somewhere else.
00:12:20.90\00:12:23.41
And way back when, in
this imaginary paradise,
00:12:23.41\00:12:26.44
people didn't get sick,
00:12:26.44\00:12:27.91
and Rousseau said
00:12:27.91\00:12:29.11
they were naturally
compassionate and kind.
00:12:29.11\00:12:32.05
What he came up with was
almost a caveman's version
00:12:32.05\00:12:34.88
of the Garden of Eden,
00:12:34.88\00:12:36.38
but of course, it
never actually existed.
00:12:36.38\00:12:39.59
"What happened," Rousseau
said, "was that eventually,
00:12:41.02\00:12:42.86
"we started to
cooperate with each other,
00:12:42.86\00:12:45.26
"and then we built communities.
00:12:45.26\00:12:47.20
"And then at some point,
00:12:47.20\00:12:48.56
"somebody accumulated more
00:12:48.56\00:12:50.63
"than he actually
needed for himself.
00:12:50.63\00:12:53.10
"And then he got the
idea that owning stuff
00:12:53.10\00:12:55.17
"was pretty beneficial.
00:12:55.17\00:12:57.01
"And presto! We
were suddenly plunged
00:12:57.01\00:12:59.71
"into the
depravity of civilization,
00:12:59.71\00:13:02.48
"which did nothing,
00:13:02.48\00:13:03.98
"but help out a
few powerful people."
00:13:03.98\00:13:06.92
Rousseau explained
that we can lay the blame
00:13:06.92\00:13:09.18
for all of our human suffering
00:13:09.18\00:13:11.59
at the feet of
whoever invented the concept
00:13:11.59\00:13:14.69
of private property.
00:13:14.69\00:13:16.56
And that's a theme that
you still hear circulating
00:13:16.56\00:13:20.06
to this day.
00:13:20.06\00:13:22.10
Rousseau said that
we eventually suppressed
00:13:22.10\00:13:24.80
our natural
compassion for each other
00:13:24.80\00:13:26.84
and used logic and reason
00:13:26.84\00:13:28.37
to justify our violence
and cruelty against each other.
00:13:28.37\00:13:32.67
We became
philosophers, rationalizers,
00:13:32.67\00:13:35.88
and that, he said, was the
beginning of everything bad.
00:13:35.88\00:13:39.75
Here's the way Rousseau said it,
00:13:39.75\00:13:40.98
back in the 1750s.
00:13:40.98\00:13:42.42
He wrote, "It is
philosophy that isolates him,
00:13:42.42\00:13:45.72
"and bids him say,
00:13:45.72\00:13:46.96
"at the sight of the
misfortunes of others:
00:13:46.96\00:13:49.42
"Perish if you will,
00:13:49.42\00:13:50.93
"I am secure.
00:13:50.93\00:13:52.99
"A murder may be, with impunity,
00:13:52.99\00:13:55.00
"committed under his window;
00:13:55.00\00:13:56.43
"he has only to put
his hands to his ears
00:13:56.43\00:13:58.40
"and argue a little with himself
00:13:58.40\00:14:00.24
"to prevent nature,
00:14:00.24\00:14:01.40
"which is shocked within him,
00:14:01.40\00:14:03.37
"from identifying itself
with the unfortunate sufferer."
00:14:03.37\00:14:06.81
And on, and on, and on, he goes.
00:14:07.88\00:14:11.28
And what Rousseau basically
argues is that communities
00:14:11.28\00:14:14.72
and civilization
became tools in the hands
00:14:14.72\00:14:17.75
of powerful oppressors.
00:14:17.75\00:14:19.72
"Civilization," he
said, "Ruined the human race."
00:14:19.72\00:14:22.86
"And now, millions of
people have become slaves
00:14:22.86\00:14:25.76
"to the powerful."
00:14:25.76\00:14:27.23
In one of his most famous lines,
00:14:27.23\00:14:28.73
Rousseau wrote,
"Man is born free,
00:14:28.73\00:14:31.73
"and everywhere,
he is in chains."
00:14:31.73\00:14:34.67
Now, I'm sure
you've had the odd day
00:14:34.67\00:14:36.40
where you feel like
that when you go to work
00:14:36.40\00:14:37.94
because there is something
about working for a living
00:14:37.94\00:14:40.48
that feels just a
little like slavery.
00:14:40.48\00:14:43.58
But what I want
you to notice now,
00:14:44.75\00:14:46.48
is how back in the 18th century,
00:14:46.48\00:14:48.35
Rousseau is actually
anticipating a train of thought
00:14:48.35\00:14:51.49
that would create
some of the biggest upsets
00:14:51.49\00:14:53.46
in human history.
00:14:53.46\00:14:55.09
His ideas helped fuel
the violence of the French
00:14:55.09\00:14:59.03
Revolution. After all,
the revolutionaries believed
00:14:59.03\00:15:01.40
they were overthrowing a system
00:15:01.40\00:15:02.73
that was holding them down.
00:15:02.73\00:15:04.50
It also anticipated Karl Marx,
00:15:04.50\00:15:06.74
who argued that civilization
had to be ripped down
00:15:06.74\00:15:09.54
and replaced by a system
00:15:09.54\00:15:11.01
that favored the working class.
00:15:11.01\00:15:13.64
Those ideas came from
Rousseau, at least in part,
00:15:13.64\00:15:18.01
because what Rousseau
wanted to do was rip apart
00:15:18.01\00:15:20.55
the foundations of civilization
00:15:20.55\00:15:22.42
so we could return to this
imaginary state of pure nature
00:15:22.42\00:15:26.55
he had dreamed up
in his imagination.
00:15:26.55\00:15:30.03
But let's be honest about this:
00:15:30.03\00:15:31.89
the French revolution
and the communist revolution,
00:15:31.89\00:15:35.60
they were abysmal failures
00:15:35.60\00:15:37.40
that quickly devolved into more
violence and more oppression
00:15:37.40\00:15:42.40
because it turns out
human beings are incapable
00:15:43.77\00:15:46.14
of changing their
essential selfish nature.
00:15:46.14\00:15:49.31
Now, I know that
some of you are wondering
00:15:50.48\00:15:52.25
where in the world
I'm gonna go with this.
00:15:52.25\00:15:54.18
And if you're patient,
00:15:54.18\00:15:55.52
I'm gonna take a quick break,
00:15:55.52\00:15:56.75
and then I'll come back
00:15:56.75\00:15:57.69
and show you where we're going
00:15:57.69\00:15:59.32
because even though
the French revolution
00:15:59.32\00:16:01.26
was a bloody, violent spectacle,
00:16:01.26\00:16:03.69
and the Soviet
Union ultimately failed,
00:16:03.69\00:16:06.76
some of Rousseau's thinking
lives on to this very day.
00:16:06.76\00:16:10.73
So don't go away,
00:16:10.73\00:16:12.30
I'll be right back.
00:16:12.30\00:16:13.57
[gentle music]
00:16:14.74\00:16:16.20
- [Woman Voice-over]
Life can throw a lot at us.
00:16:16.20\00:16:17.94
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers,
00:16:17.94\00:16:21.34
but that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:16:21.34\00:16:23.78
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:16:23.78\00:16:26.85
Here at the Voice of Prophecy,
00:16:26.85\00:16:28.42
we've created the
Discover Bible Guides
00:16:28.42\00:16:30.55
to be your guide to the Bible.
00:16:30.55\00:16:32.15
They're designed to
be simple, easy to use,
00:16:32.15\00:16:34.66
and provide answers to many
of life's toughest questions,
00:16:34.66\00:16:37.66
and they're absolutely free.
00:16:37.66\00:16:39.69
So jump online now,
00:16:39.69\00:16:41.03
or give us a call
00:16:41.03\00:16:42.16
and start your
journey of discovery.
00:16:42.16\00:16:44.23
- When Rousseau was done
expanding on the ridiculous idea
00:16:45.63\00:16:48.64
that our ancient
caveman ancestors,
00:16:48.64\00:16:51.14
our animal ancestors
were somehow more pure
00:16:51.14\00:16:55.18
and more
compassionate than we are,
00:16:55.18\00:16:57.88
well, he sent a copy
of his brand new book
00:16:57.88\00:16:59.88
to the famous skeptic, Voltaire.
00:16:59.88\00:17:02.62
And of course,
Voltaire was known
00:17:02.62\00:17:05.02
for being rather biting in
his criticism of other people.
00:17:05.02\00:17:08.36
So here's what Voltaire
said in reply to the book:
00:17:08.36\00:17:11.36
"I have received, sir,
00:17:11.36\00:17:12.66
"your new book
against the human species,
00:17:12.66\00:17:15.20
"and I thank you for it.
00:17:15.20\00:17:16.83
"No one has ever been so
witty as you are in trying
00:17:16.83\00:17:20.20
"to turn us into brutes."
00:17:20.20\00:17:22.14
Or in other words,
00:17:22.14\00:17:23.34
back to our
primitive animal existence.
00:17:23.34\00:17:26.14
"To read your
book," Voltaire said,
00:17:26.14\00:17:27.68
"makes one long
to go on all fours.
00:17:27.68\00:17:30.61
"As, however, it
is now some 60 years
00:17:30.61\00:17:33.45
"since I gave up the practice,
00:17:33.45\00:17:34.95
"I feel that it is
unfortunately impossible
00:17:34.95\00:17:38.09
"for me to resume
it." [Shawn chuckles]
00:17:38.09\00:17:40.96
In other words,
Voltaire found this idea
00:17:40.96\00:17:43.49
that human
civilization was the cause
00:17:43.49\00:17:45.36
of all our problems, ridiculous.
00:17:45.36\00:17:49.16
Now, that's not to say
00:17:49.16\00:17:50.40
that oppression
doesn't happen in civilization
00:17:50.40\00:17:53.00
or that powerful people
don't take advantage of others
00:17:53.00\00:17:56.24
because, well,
they absolutely do,
00:17:56.24\00:17:58.27
we all know that.
00:17:58.27\00:17:59.94
But the idea that
all of us would be better
00:17:59.94\00:18:01.88
if we just took away
the rules of civilization,
00:18:01.88\00:18:05.35
that's a
preposterous and dangerous idea;
00:18:05.35\00:18:08.75
this idea that our ancestors
were peace, loving primitives,
00:18:08.75\00:18:12.55
who were pure and
innocent flies in the face
00:18:12.55\00:18:15.22
of absolutely
everything we know.
00:18:15.22\00:18:18.79
Just because there are
aspects of our civilization
00:18:18.79\00:18:21.20
that definitely are problematic,
00:18:21.20\00:18:23.93
that doesn't really mean
00:18:23.93\00:18:25.70
that the essential problem
is the civilization itself.
00:18:25.70\00:18:30.04
The real problem, according
to the authors of the Bible,
00:18:31.51\00:18:35.41
is human nature.
00:18:35.41\00:18:37.05
Rousseau would
like us to believe
00:18:37.05\00:18:38.48
that human beings
in their natural state
00:18:38.48\00:18:41.05
are completely innocent,
00:18:41.05\00:18:43.42
but the Bible comes a
lot closer to reality.
00:18:43.42\00:18:47.12
Psalm 51 is a poetic masterpiece
00:18:47.12\00:18:49.72
that King David wrote
00:18:49.72\00:18:51.53
after he'd been
caught committing adultery,
00:18:51.53\00:18:54.20
and then committing
murder to cover his tracks.
00:18:54.20\00:18:57.57
And this Psalm doesn't
spend much time talking about
00:18:57.57\00:18:59.87
how powerful and
privileged, David was,
00:18:59.87\00:19:03.37
even though those
things were obviously a factor
00:19:03.37\00:19:05.97
in his guilt.
00:19:05.97\00:19:07.14
Now, instead, David points
00:19:07.14\00:19:09.41
to a much more
foundational problem
00:19:09.41\00:19:11.51
and he writes this:
00:19:11.51\00:19:13.31
"For I
acknowledge my transgressions,
00:19:13.31\00:19:16.45
"and my sin is always before me.
00:19:16.45\00:19:19.05
"Against You, You
only have I sinned
00:19:19.05\00:19:21.42
"and done this
evil in your sight,
00:19:21.42\00:19:24.06
"that you may be
found just when you speak,
00:19:24.06\00:19:26.80
"and blameless when you judge.
00:19:26.80\00:19:29.36
"Behold, I was
brought forth in iniquity,
00:19:29.36\00:19:32.90
"and in sin, my
mother conceived me."
00:19:32.90\00:19:36.10
The real problem
in this world is not
00:19:37.27\00:19:39.37
that we sin against each other,
00:19:39.37\00:19:40.94
even though we
most certainly do that.
00:19:40.94\00:19:43.61
And there's little question
00:19:43.61\00:19:45.18
that the prophet
Nathan did underscore
00:19:45.18\00:19:47.38
David's power and privilege
00:19:47.38\00:19:49.75
when he came to confront
him over what he'd done.
00:19:49.75\00:19:52.59
There's also
very little question
00:19:52.59\00:19:54.42
that God warned the Israelites
at the very beginning,
00:19:54.42\00:19:57.19
"Don't you ask for a king,"
00:19:57.19\00:19:59.66
because Kings do have a
way of oppressing people.
00:19:59.66\00:20:03.10
But at the end of the day,
00:20:03.10\00:20:04.33
the real problem,
00:20:04.33\00:20:05.83
the essential foundational
problem in this world is us.
00:20:05.83\00:20:09.54
And by that, I mean all of us.
00:20:09.54\00:20:12.37
Power just has a way
of magnifying the problem
00:20:12.37\00:20:15.64
that we all have.
00:20:15.64\00:20:17.21
Rousseau insisted that you and I
00:20:17.21\00:20:18.65
were born completely innocent,
00:20:18.65\00:20:20.02
but David says he
was conceived in sin
00:20:20.02\00:20:23.55
and brought forth in iniquity.
00:20:23.55\00:20:26.25
So here's where
I'm gonna go with this.
00:20:27.46\00:20:29.66
I mean, I could probably
go in 100 different directions
00:20:29.66\00:20:32.76
because, well, the Bible really
does speak about oppression
00:20:32.76\00:20:36.40
by powerful people,
00:20:36.40\00:20:37.93
and it does condemn
those powerful people
00:20:37.93\00:20:39.97
who take advantage of the poor;
00:20:39.97\00:20:41.97
it does it in
no uncertain terms.
00:20:41.97\00:20:45.44
The Bible also spends
a lot of time contrasting
00:20:45.44\00:20:49.31
the fallen kingdoms
or fallen civilizations
00:20:49.31\00:20:52.28
that humanity
built in this world,
00:20:52.28\00:20:54.58
and it compares them with
the ultimate kingdom of Christ.
00:20:54.58\00:20:58.72
So we'll give
Rousseau partial marks today,
00:20:58.72\00:21:01.76
for at least noticing
that something is wrong
00:21:01.76\00:21:04.59
with the way that
human beings run this place.
00:21:04.59\00:21:07.76
In fact, that's really
one of the major themes
00:21:07.76\00:21:10.40
you find all the
way through the Bible.
00:21:10.40\00:21:12.77
It says that the human
race is divided into two groups:
00:21:12.77\00:21:16.17
there's a group that tries
00:21:16.17\00:21:17.41
to rebuild paradise by
itself, building cities,
00:21:17.41\00:21:21.31
and there's
another group that seeks
00:21:21.31\00:21:22.54
to be part of
the kingdom of God.
00:21:22.54\00:21:24.58
One stream builds walled
cities, centers of civilization,
00:21:24.58\00:21:28.92
where powerful people offer
peace and protection in exchange
00:21:28.92\00:21:32.22
for what amounts
to labor and slavery,
00:21:32.22\00:21:35.22
kind of like Rousseau described.
00:21:35.22\00:21:37.53
The other stream
seeks communion with God
00:21:37.53\00:21:39.86
and understands that the
human heart is the real source
00:21:39.86\00:21:42.40
of all of our suffering,
00:21:42.40\00:21:44.23
and that you and I are
completely powerless to change
00:21:44.23\00:21:47.20
what's wrong with us.
00:21:47.20\00:21:48.94
So I guess what
I'm getting at is this:
00:21:48.94\00:21:51.77
if we wanna take
Rousseau's word for it,
00:21:51.77\00:21:54.34
then all of our
problems are actually caused
00:21:54.34\00:21:56.64
by somebody else.
00:21:56.64\00:21:58.45
"Somebody else," he says,
"ruined your natural innocence.
00:21:58.45\00:22:01.75
"The reason you're
unhappy and life is hard
00:22:01.75\00:22:03.99
"is because somebody
else did that to you.
00:22:03.99\00:22:06.86
"If only those other
people didn't exist," he says,
00:22:06.86\00:22:08.89
"then life would
finally be happy."
00:22:08.89\00:22:11.56
And I guess what
bothers me about this
00:22:11.56\00:22:13.43
is that I'm
hearing more and more
00:22:13.43\00:22:14.86
of that same kind
of talk right now,
00:22:14.86\00:22:17.23
as the world gets
more and more polarized.
00:22:17.23\00:22:21.04
What we seem to have right now,
00:22:21.04\00:22:22.47
is a return to this idea
00:22:22.47\00:22:23.97
that there's
nothing wrong with me
00:22:23.97\00:22:25.71
and that there's something
wrong with everybody else.
00:22:25.71\00:22:28.88
It's everybody else's corruption
00:22:28.88\00:22:30.68
that's ruining this place,
00:22:30.68\00:22:32.01
it's the system
that's keeping me down.
00:22:32.01\00:22:34.52
If only all those
powerful, privileged people
00:22:34.52\00:22:37.42
were suddenly gone,
00:22:37.42\00:22:38.95
then life could return
to a pure natural state
00:22:38.95\00:22:41.79
and we could all be equal,
00:22:41.79\00:22:43.43
and my natural
goodness could shine.
00:22:43.43\00:22:46.13
Except we all
know instinctively,
00:22:47.23\00:22:50.50
that's a bunch of baloney;
00:22:50.50\00:22:53.03
people are not naturally good.
00:22:53.03\00:22:56.24
I mean, there's no
doubt that a worldly system,
00:22:56.24\00:22:58.07
constructed by selfish people,
00:22:58.07\00:22:59.84
is going to be wildly imperfect.
00:22:59.84\00:23:02.31
And there's little doubt
00:23:02.31\00:23:03.78
that when you give selfish
people, a little bit of power,
00:23:03.78\00:23:05.58
they're almost
always going to abuse it.
00:23:05.58\00:23:08.75
I mean, just look at
the former Soviet Union;
00:23:08.75\00:23:10.59
it's exhibit A for
the writings of Karl Marx.
00:23:10.59\00:23:13.86
Back in 1917,
revolutionary seized power
00:23:13.86\00:23:17.36
and they took it away
from the royal family;
00:23:17.36\00:23:20.03
from the one-percenters,
I guess you could say.
00:23:20.03\00:23:22.36
But then in a
remarkably short span of time,
00:23:23.50\00:23:26.03
those same
revolutionaries accumulated
00:23:26.03\00:23:28.44
all that same
power for themselves,
00:23:28.44\00:23:31.14
and we suddenly had millions
of people living worse lives
00:23:31.14\00:23:34.48
than they did before,
00:23:34.48\00:23:35.98
while members of the
party leadership drove around
00:23:35.98\00:23:37.95
in nice cars and
lived in great homes.
00:23:37.95\00:23:41.32
Eventually, people were
even persecuted and executed,
00:23:41.32\00:23:45.45
simply for what they believed.
00:23:45.45\00:23:47.66
Political dissidents were
sent to the Gulags in Siberia.
00:23:47.66\00:23:51.16
And all that
really happened there
00:23:51.16\00:23:53.40
was a shift in abusive power,
00:23:53.40\00:23:56.03
and that's because
00:23:56.03\00:23:57.30
the real problem on
this planet never changes.
00:23:57.30\00:24:01.07
I'll be right back after this.
00:24:01.07\00:24:02.97
[dragon roars]
00:24:03.91\00:24:05.37
- [Man Voice-over] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues;
00:24:05.37\00:24:09.04
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:24:09.04\00:24:13.62
If you've ever read
Daniel or Revelation
00:24:13.62\00:24:15.82
and come away,
scratching your head,
00:24:15.82\00:24:17.55
you're not alone.
00:24:17.55\00:24:18.99
Our free focus on
prophecy guides are designed
00:24:18.99\00:24:21.76
to help you unlock
the mysteries of the Bible
00:24:21.76\00:24:24.03
and deepen your
understanding of God's plan
00:24:24.03\00:24:26.46
for you and our world.
00:24:26.46\00:24:28.06
Study online or
request them by mail
00:24:28.06\00:24:30.50
and start bringing
prophecy into focus today.
00:24:30.50\00:24:33.44
- Build all the
man-made solutions
00:24:34.60\00:24:36.17
for inequality and
suffering that you want,
00:24:36.17\00:24:38.27
and the essential
problem is still there,
00:24:38.27\00:24:40.21
it's a broken human heart.
00:24:40.21\00:24:43.31
That's what Rousseau
00:24:43.31\00:24:44.78
and countless others
have failed to understand.
00:24:44.78\00:24:46.61
It's the fact that you and I,
00:24:46.61\00:24:47.78
all of us are
fallen human beings
00:24:47.78\00:24:49.78
and we can't solve
our worst problems.
00:24:49.78\00:24:52.49
Here's how the
Apostle Paul described it.
00:24:52.49\00:24:54.99
He said, "For I
delight in the law of God,
00:24:54.99\00:24:57.19
"according to the inward man.
00:24:57.19\00:24:58.76
"But I see
another law in my members,
00:24:58.76\00:25:00.43
"warring against
the law of my mind
00:25:00.43\00:25:02.23
"and bringing me into
captivity to the law of sin,
00:25:02.23\00:25:05.13
"which is in my members."
00:25:05.13\00:25:06.50
"O wretched man that I am!
00:25:06.50\00:25:08.67
"Who will deliver me
from this body of death?"
00:25:08.67\00:25:12.11
In other words, he
says, "I wanna be good,
00:25:12.11\00:25:13.88
"but I can't change
my essential nature."
00:25:13.88\00:25:18.05
This utopia that
Rousseau imagined,
00:25:18.05\00:25:20.22
this place where primitive
people live pure, peaceful
00:25:20.22\00:25:23.15
lives, it's a myth.
00:25:23.15\00:25:24.49
I mean, there was a
paradise at one point,
00:25:24.49\00:25:26.45
but we ruined it.
00:25:26.45\00:25:27.89
And the fallout from our
rebellion against our creator
00:25:27.89\00:25:30.83
is a broken human heart,
00:25:30.83\00:25:32.43
so tainted by sin
00:25:32.43\00:25:34.36
that you're
powerless to change it.
00:25:34.36\00:25:36.43
No law, no government,
00:25:36.43\00:25:38.27
no political
ideology is gonna fix it.
00:25:38.27\00:25:41.40
Now, that doesn't mean you don't
participate in civilization
00:25:41.40\00:25:44.14
because even
though human government
00:25:44.14\00:25:46.27
is not a great substitute
for the kingdom of God,
00:25:46.27\00:25:49.28
it's all we've got right now,
00:25:49.28\00:25:51.08
and we have an obligation
to the best of our ability
00:25:51.08\00:25:53.55
to live with what we built.
00:25:53.55\00:25:55.85
For the most part,
00:25:55.85\00:25:56.79
the laws we've created are there
00:25:56.79\00:25:58.19
to make a peaceful
coexistence somewhat possible.
00:25:58.19\00:26:02.06
And, by and large, our
system of civilization,
00:26:02.06\00:26:04.23
mostly exists to
contain the problem
00:26:04.23\00:26:07.50
of a fallen heart.
00:26:07.50\00:26:08.93
Until Christ returns,
00:26:08.93\00:26:10.47
this is what we've got.
00:26:10.47\00:26:12.33
So it bothers me
when I hear voices calling
00:26:12.33\00:26:14.40
for the utter deconstruction
of Western civilization.
00:26:14.40\00:26:17.94
It bothers me that we appear
00:26:17.94\00:26:19.44
to be one of the most
intolerant, unforgiving
00:26:19.44\00:26:22.91
generations to
ever walk the earth,
00:26:22.91\00:26:24.45
and we always wanna blame
somebody else for everything.
00:26:24.45\00:26:27.88
So what would happen if
all of us owned it together?
00:26:27.88\00:26:30.49
What if we could admit
00:26:30.49\00:26:31.69
that we're all
part of the problem?
00:26:31.69\00:26:34.02
What appears to be
happening right now,
00:26:35.19\00:26:36.66
is kind of a
radical deconstruction,
00:26:36.66\00:26:39.06
the kind that fueled
the French Revolution,
00:26:39.06\00:26:41.43
the kind that
was born on the ideas
00:26:41.43\00:26:43.40
of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
00:26:43.40\00:26:45.43
People seem to be mindlessly
ripping everything down
00:26:45.43\00:26:48.04
without thinking it through.
00:26:48.04\00:26:49.54
I mean, don't get me wrong,
00:26:49.54\00:26:50.74
there is something
wrong with this world
00:26:50.74\00:26:52.34
and we shouldn't turn
a blind eye to injustice,
00:26:52.34\00:26:54.81
but what's happening right now,
00:26:54.81\00:26:56.85
should concern us
00:26:56.85\00:26:58.45
because we're
ripping things down
00:26:58.45\00:27:00.05
without asking
ourselves why it was built
00:27:00.05\00:27:02.28
in the first place,
00:27:02.28\00:27:03.79
and nobody talks about what
they plan to replace it with.
00:27:03.79\00:27:06.55
And when we're
finished ripping apart,
00:27:06.55\00:27:08.46
our basic civilization,
00:27:08.46\00:27:09.82
we're gonna find out
we still haven't solved
00:27:09.82\00:27:11.69
the biggest
problem; the sinful heart.
00:27:11.69\00:27:14.36
And until we solve that,
00:27:14.36\00:27:16.26
we solve absolutely nothing.
00:27:16.26\00:27:19.77
Paul complains that he
can't fix what's wrong with him,
00:27:19.77\00:27:22.74
and he says, "O
wretched man that I am!
00:27:22.74\00:27:24.51
"Who will deliver me
from this body of death?"
00:27:24.51\00:27:26.47
And then he gives the answer.
00:27:26.47\00:27:27.81
"I thank God through
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
00:27:27.81\00:27:30.58
"So then, with the mind,
00:27:30.58\00:27:31.65
"I myself serve the law of God,
00:27:31.65\00:27:34.02
"but with the
flesh, the law of sin."
00:27:34.02\00:27:37.12
Believe me, God has
noticed the injustice,
00:27:37.12\00:27:39.19
the problems with our world,
00:27:39.19\00:27:40.69
and He's promised to dissolve
human government completely
00:27:40.69\00:27:43.46
and restore the
kingdom of Christ,
00:27:43.46\00:27:45.56
where we all get restored;
00:27:45.56\00:27:47.30
in a place, the Bible says,
lives by God's commandments,
00:27:47.30\00:27:51.20
not human commandments.
00:27:51.20\00:27:53.00
And that's when the
problem is finally solved.
00:27:53.00\00:27:56.44
I'm Shawn Boonstra,
00:27:56.44\00:27:57.94
you've been
watching "Authentic."
00:27:57.94\00:28:00.68
[Western music]
00:28:00.68\00:28:03.35